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Disclaimer:  I do not own any of the Rumiko Takahashi characters named here, nor do I own the rights to Charlie's Angels.  I don't own a Land Rover, either. 

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"I can't believe you don't have some kind of way to contact your friends," Miroku said disgustedly.  His foot struck a rock in the path and he cursed roundly.  "I thought you were supposed to have all this high tech equipment.  You don't even have a cell phone?"

"I had one, but I dropped it in the toilet last week and I couldn't afford to replace it right away," Sango told him sadly.  "Naraku won't pay for stuff like that.  I don't even want to think about the Land Rover!"

"Cheap bastard," was Miroku's comment.

"You have no idea," Sango told him.  "He docks our paychecks if we forget to turn the lights off when we leave the agency."

"Well, at least it isn't too far of a hike into town," Miroku sighed.  "Someone there ought to be able to help us.  And I'm certainly glad," he looked down at Sango's combat boots, "that you wore decent walking shoes."

A low growl came from the bushes lining the road.  Sango grabbed Miroku's hand nervously.  "Did you hear that?" she asked in a shaking voice.

"Yes."  He moved closer.  "What do you think it is?"

"Some kind of animal," she whispered as they sped up their walking pace.  The growl came again, only louder.

"It almost sounds like a bear," said Miroku.  "But there's no – aaaiiiiiii!"

A large panda stepped out of the bushes and roared at them.  Sango and Miroku took one horrified look before tearing down the road, Sango's long legs easily giving her the lead.

********

"Little girl," the disembodied voice floated through the darkness.  "Why aren't you wearing any shoes?  It's cold outside."

The little girl turned to the faceless apparition.  "I don't want to wear shoes."

The mist swirled around her.  "You mean you don't have any shoes.  You have no shoes!  You have no shoes!"  The voice changed into that of a taunting child.

"Go away!  I do too have shoes!  I have lots of them, look!"  She flung open the door of the closet that suddenly appeared to her right.  "See? Oh no!"

The closet was bare, except for the empty shoe racks.  The voice cackled.  "You dirty little street rat!  Why don't you go running home to your Mommy and ask her to buy you some shoes!"

She turned to run and saw nothing but ocean in front of her.  The surf was climbing higher and higher to the shore.  She screamed as a large wave broke over her, drenching her completely.

"Aaaaaaggggghhhhhh!" Kagura screamed as she bolted upright in her bed.

"Noooooo!" Rin screamed back at her.  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!  Please don't hurt me Miss Kagura!"  Rin burst into tears and curled into a ball on the floor.  "I just wanted to bring you a drink of water, Miss Kagura!" she sobbed.  "I just wanted to bring you a drink and I tripped!"

Kagura shook the water from her hair and tried to comprehend what was happening.  A nightmare, she'd had a nightmare.  She looked at her wet pillow and the hysterical girl lying on her bedroom floor.  Rin had dumped a glass of water on her head?

"Rin," Kagura said softly as she climbed from the bed.  "Rin, it's okay.  Stop crying."  Rin only sobbed harder.  Kagura sat next to her on the floor and scooped the frightened girl into her arms.  "Rin," Kagura made soothing noises, "I'm not angry, sweetheart.  I was having a scary dream and you woke me up."

"But I got you all wet," Rin cried.  "I didn't mean to!" she shrieked.

"Yeah, well, I probably needed the bath," Kagura smiled at her as she patted the child's back.  She stroked the girl's soft brown hair.  "Rin, I'm here to help take care of you.  I'd never hurt you," Kagura said as she tenderly kissed Rin's forehead.

Rin's heavy sobs had reduced to small whimpers and she clung tightly to Kagura.  "Uncle Koga says you're not good at taking care of children," she told Kagura.  "He says he can't figure out why you're doing this."

"Your Uncle Koga doesn't know what he's talking about," Kagura harrumphed.  "Okay," she admitted to Rin, "I'm not the greatest Nanny in the world.  And maybe I don't know a lot about taking care of children - but at least I'm trying to learn."  She reached up to the nightstand and grabbed a tissue.  "Blow," she ordered the sniffling Rin.

Kagura stood up and carried Rin into her bedroom.  "It's too late for all of this.  Come on, let's go back to sleep," she said as she climbed under the covers with the child.

Rin snuggled next to her.  "How come you're sleeping in my bed?" she whispered to Kagura.

"Because my pillow is sopping wet," Kagura answered with a smile.  "Why were you getting me a drink, anyway?"

"You were crying and talking, so I thought you couldn't sleep.  Daddy always brings me a glass of water when I can't sleep.  I didn't know you were having scary dreams.  Were there monsters?"

"Not really," Kagura said sleepily.  "I dreamt I was a little girl like you, and I didn't have any shoes."

"You have lots of pretty shoes, Miss Kagura," Rin said.  "I like it when you let me try them on."

"I didn't have any shoes when I was your age," Kagura told her hesitantly.  "So I was dreaming that all my pretty shoes were gone again."

"Miss Kagura, how come you didn't have any shoes?  Did your mommy take them away and hit you 'cause she was mad all the time?"

The revelation in Rin's statement sent a wave of fury through Kagura.  That someone would hurt such a sweet little girl…no wonder Sesshomaru was so protective of her.  "No sweetie," she hugged Rin closer.  "I was just really, really poor and couldn't buy any shoes."

"But now you can buy lots of shoes!" Rin pointed out happily.

"Yes," Kagura agreed, "now I can buy lots of shoes.  In fact, why don't we go out and buy a pair for each of us tomorrow?  But first we have to get some sleep," she told the wriggling girl.  "So lie still and close your eyes."

"Okay," Rin complied, shutting her eyes and relaxing against the pillow.

Kagura lay awake in the darkness for awhile, gently brushing the hair away from the sleeping girl's cheek.  She'd kill whoever hurt this child, she realized.  She would tear them apart with her bare hands.

*******

"Why are we stopping at your rooms?" Ranma asked weakly.

Kagome looked with concern at the young man leaning on Inu-Yasha.  He could hardly walk.  "The doctor said you had a concussion," she reminded him.  "You can't stay by yourself – what if you fell asleep and didn't wake up?"  Kagome unlocked the door to her rooms and motioned the two men inside.

"Go take a hot bath right now," she ordered the staggering Ranma.  "There's a clean robe hanging on the hook behind the door, and I've got some clothes you can borrow when you're finished."  Kagome gave him a gentle push towards the bathroom.

"Thanks," Ranma mumbled as he closed the door behind him.

Inu-Yasha was smirking.  "Won't your clothes be a little tight across the chest for Ranma?"

Kagome resisted the impulse to slap him again.  He still had a red mark across his cheek where she'd hit him earlier.  He looked terrible, come to think of it.  The salt-water had plastered his hair to his head at various angles and Kagome could see several deep scratches covering his arms.  She hadn't realized she'd gouged him so badly while fighting him in the water.

So if he looked so bad, why did she still want to kiss him?

Kagome turned without a word and walked into the kitchen, looking for something warm to drink.  Inu-Yasha followed her and slumped into a chair at the kitchen table, his face resting on his folded arms.  "Hell of a day," he commented wearily.  "Why didn't I just go back to bed after that weirdo grabbed me in the courtyard?  I should have known things would go downhill from there."

Weirdo?  Kagome jerked, splashing herself with the hot coffee she was pouring into a mug.  "Inu-Yasha, um, what are you talking about?" she asked hesitantly as she ran cold water over her burned hand.

"One of the contestants is a real head case, his name's Jakotsu.  He's been chasing after me for years and he grabbed me this morning in the courtyard."  Inu-Yasha shuddered.  "He and those blood-thirsty criminals he ran around with went to prison a few years back, but apparently they let Jakotsu out."

"Oh," said Kagome in a small voice, "so his attentions aren't…welcome?  Because I saw the two of you this morning and I thought…I thought…" she trailed off miserably.

Inu-Yasha straightened up and stared at her.  "No," he said flatly.  "I like women.  One woman in particular – although it appears she can jump to some really stupid conclusions sometimes."  He reached for Kagome, pulling her into his lap and kissing her.

He tasted like a salt lick, Kagome thought, nuzzling his neck.  "And what other stupid conclusions have I jumped to?" she whispered into his ear as she hugged him tightly.

Inu-Yasha smoothed his hands over Kagome's ebony hair hanging down her back, picking out a stray piece of kelp.  "Let's see," he said thoughtfully, "you assumed I hated you the first time we met, you assumed I spent all my free time surfing, you assumed I don't own a single pair of shoes…"

"I have yet to see this supposed pair of shoes," she reminded him.  "Have you ever taken them out of the box from the store?"  Kagome kissed the tip of his nose.

"Oh," Inu-Yasha continued, "and let's not forget your assumption that Ranma is a man.  'Cause I'm telling you, there is no way those breasts are fake – hey, don't hit me again!" He caught her hand before she could deliver another slap.

"There's only one chest you'd better be groping," Kagome warned him.  "And I still say Ranma is a guy!"

"Ranma is a girl!" Inu-Yasha insisted.  "I think I held her long enough to tell the difference, and she is definitely a wo-" he broke off mid-sentence.  Kagome shifted in his lap to see what he was staring at.

A handsome, dark-haired young man stood in the kitchen entrance wearing Kagome's flowered bathrobe.  The robe lay open, showing a muscular chest and stomach.  "Ooops," he said, "didn't mean to interrupt."  He disappeared into the living room.

"That was…" Inu-Yasha whispered in disbelief.

"Ranma Saotome," Kagome answered in awe.  "He really is the world's greatest cross-dresser."

*******

A/N:  See, I told you things would get better for poor IY.  They seem to be getting worse for Sango and Miroku, though.  Getting chased by a panda can't be too much fun…a couple of you have mentioned Sango being so far OOC.  She is, but this was the role I saw her in.  Someone had to be the 'tough' angel, and I had already placed Kagura as the 'sexy angel'.

Looking back, I'm regretting having so many different story and character lines running at once.  It's getting harder for me to keep track of who is doing what and where.  Please let me know if I've left holes in the story that are large enough to drive a truck through.  I do promise this will all tie together in the end.

Asteria:  I don't know I managed to leave Tsubasa out - when Sophie-chan and I were making the list of cross-dressers, we definitely had him on the list!  He'll have to make an appearance later.

Super big hugs and thanks to all my reviewers!  You're such an inspiration to me!